Ticket King College is Going to Turkey!

It is time to break the news:  I will be traveling this January (2nd-26th) to Turkey for a UST J-term study abroad. I will miss all of you and miss this blog, but I promise that I will be back!

I will write when I get back, but in the meantime, check out these other great blogs that I follow:

Ticket King St. Paul

Ticket King Minneapolis

White Sox and Twins Lose Rivalry History

With the Twins losing Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel to free agency, going to the Rockies and the Diamondbacks, respectively, there has ben a lot of discussion about the Twins and White Sox rivalry losing a lot of history.

We've lost Thome (who used to be a White Sox/sock?), Cuddyer and Kubel. They lost Ozzie Guillen, who always had plenty to say before during and after a Twins White Sox game.

Below are the Twins roster changes from last year's Opening Day:

Delmon Young: traded to Detroit last August, only to go on and be more awesome than he ever was with the Twins.
Jim Thome: traded to Cleveland last August, signed with the Phillies.
Joe Nathan: signed with Texas (which I think fits him perfectly, though it makes me sad).
Jose Mijares: Non-tendered.
Kevin Slowey: Traded to the Rockies.
Michael Cuddyer: Signed by the Rockies.
Jason Kubel: Signed by Arizona.

We've lost a lot of history, it's true - especially with Cuddy and Kubel. Kubel hit 22 of his 104 career home runs against the White Sox pitching staff. Cuddy played in 145 Twins Sox games, where he hit .356 off Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy.

I cannot handle having another terrible season. I HATE HATE HATE losing to the Sox. The Twins need to get their act together and get some free agents aboard.

Jared Allen Hates New Orleans... and it is Funny.

"There's two cities like I don't go out to eat or don't do anything. It's Detroit and New Orleans. New Orleans looks like I'm driving through a third-world country every time I get off the plane, I'm like, 'Oh, flak jacket.' I'm trying to get down. I'm like, 'Ah, crap, I can't carry my gun here. This sucks," said Allen of New Orleans.

I found a forum thread discussing Allen's comments from the point of view of New Orleans fans.

"Have you ever visited North Minneapolis, midtown or the Phillips neighborhoods?"
- This guy has a good point. North Minneapolis is like Bucharest at 4am.

"Hey Jared Allen ! How does it feel to play for a Third World Team?"
- Sad.

"Why doesn't he just say, ""I try to avoid black towns"?"
- Ok. Too far.

I think Allen's comments are hilarious. Who dat.

Gophers Basketball Still Unranked in AP Top 25

The Minnesota Gophers remain unranked in the Associated Press Top 25, though the ranking does have a new No. 1.

The Syracuse Orangeman, 10-0, moved up from No. 3 and took over the Alpha position after the Kentucky Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes lost.

In the meantime, the Golden Gophers have won four straight since Trevor Mbakwe, the Gophers star, was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Minnesota is 10-1 overall, but failed to receive even a single vote in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today top 25 polls. In all, 97 voters are polled between the two polls.

Ragnar, the Lost Minnesota Viking

With another Vikings loss, I thought this blog post should be dedicated to where the Vikings organization went wrong.

Do you remember Ragnar, the mascot Viking that is the first to emerge from the tunnel before every home game? Yes, he is still part of the organization and he still drums up Vikings fans at every home game.

Something has changed though. During every halftime, Ragnar used to 'mock' the cheerleaders by copying their provocative dances with his less-than-eloquent dance moves. This no longer happens. It hasn't happened all year.

Why?

Did the cheerleaders get upset that Vikings fans enjoyed his performance more than theirs? Did the Vikings have to cut his performance because his star-like dance moves were no longer in the budget? Or... what?

All I know is if the Vikings plan on winning a game here and there instead of never, we need to get back to the basics. Bring back Ragnar's performance. Who knows... maybe the Vikings will win a game.

Ponderisms: Did You Know?

Only hours after being drafted by the Vikings in April, Ponder arrived at Winter Park to meet his new coaches. To celebrate the successes Ponder has experienced this year as a Vikings, I've brought together some interesting Ponder facts.

Ponder is only the sixth Vikings rookie quarterback to start a game in team history!

Ponder set a franchise record for rookies with a pair of touchdown passes in his first outing!

Ponder's 72-yard completion to wide receiver Michael Jenkins on 10/23 set a Vikings record for the longest pass play by a rookie, breaking the mark of 71 yards held by Fran Tarkenton.

I can't wait to see what Ponder brings the Vikings next year!

Christian Ponder Turnovers

Bah. Well that was a hard game to watch for any Vikings fans. When the Vikings were ahead then behind then ahead and ended up behind 35-32 for the final, it is tough to watch. Even harder to watch? Christian Ponder throw two picks for 10 points and a fumble that ended a short field goal attempt.

Christian Ponder agrees. He hates the rollercoaster ride that is being a rookie. He was recently quoted, "It's hard to look Jared Allen in the eyes and tell him I had two picks and a fumble and I cost us the game."

No matter what the circumstance, I would bet its hard to look Allen in the eyes - he is one intimidating guy. However, Allen was actually one of the players to support Ponder saying he would learn from his mistakes and learn to get better.

Right on. We have the rest of the season for that to happen, because next season is Skol Season.

Finalized Deals: Minnesota Twins

To the disappointment of many Minnesota fans, the Twins found their closer in singing Matt Capps to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million that includes a $6 million option for 2013 with a $250,000 buyout.

Capps blew nine saves in 25 chances last year and held a 4.25 ERA. The Twins lost Joe Nathan to the Texas Rangers. The Twins remain confident he'll bounce back next year after dealing with forearm issues throughout the season.

Minnesota dealt Slowey to the Rockies for a player to be named. On a side note, I saw the Rockies at Coors Field this summer and they have quite a few talented players (despite their record) so I hope we get a good one. The way the Twins have been working in the offseason, chances are we won't though.

The Twins also selected right-handed pitcher Marty Popham from the Indians organization and lost right-handed pitcher Shooter Hunt to the Cardinals organization in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft.

Arden Hills Stadium Site One of Many to Be Reviewed

The Vikings, without sure means of funding a stadium, will be meeting with Minneapolis city leaders in the next couple of days to narrow their list of potential stadium sites. This happens even though the Vikings continue to assert its preference for Arden Hills.

Until now, the Vikings have religiously avoided talks with Minneapolis policy-makers because of their Arden Hills preference.

This meeting sounds like it will largely accomplish nothing. The likeliness of the two sides narrowing down the list to one or two sites seems very unlikely, especially with the lack of sure-funding collected.

Nonetheless, I'll keep you updated regarding any developments. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend and some Vikings football! SKOL!

Minnesota Vikings Host Tim Tebow

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 is the verse and Tim Tebow is the messenger... after Jesus, of course. This verse, or perhaps another, will be in Minneapolis this weekend as the Minnesota Vikings host the Denver Broncos.

Tim Tebow has swept the nation similar to Twilight and reality cooking shows featuring cupcake bake-offs and restaurant hunters in search of that diamond in the rough. Some hate him. Some love him. One thing is for sure though - Tim Tebow loves Jesus.

It isn't new for athletes to be faithful or to find good luck charms in inanimate objects, but it seems that Tebow's faith is as exceptional as turning water into wine. The Broncos, now 5-1 under Tebow and 6-5 overall, seem to take comfort in Tebow's sermons.

Do you?